Urgent Care :: floating on one side

[3emad]

hi
how are you all ?
my 4 months female RES is floating on its right side and she is less active also
and i tried to find a vet who knows anything about RES (or any other turtles ) but i didnt find any here in Qatar
so please help me and tell what should i do to save my RES ?
thanks

[vear]

Can you answer these questions? Sounds like possible RI, but answer the questions so we can better help you

How big is your turtle?
How long have you had it?

What is the water temperature?
Did you use a thermometer?
Are you using a water heater?
How much water is in there?
Are you using a water conditioner?
Are you using any filtration?

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light?
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Is there a UVB light?

What have you been trying to feed it?
When was the last time your turtle ate?

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window?
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?

Have you read the Basic Care section?
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

[3emad]

How big is your turtle? 2
How long have you had it? 1 month

What is the water temperature? i dont have a heater
Did you use a thermometer?
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? its a small tank
Are you using a water conditioner?
Are you using any filtration? no but i change the water everyday

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light? no
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? a rock
Is there a UVB light? no but i put them in a sunny area everyday

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets and lettuce
When was the last time your turtle ate? 1 hour ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? small
Is the tank near a window? yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? most of it
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes but nobody answered

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no

[jozzep]

Sounds like your enclosure is not a suitable one.
Your turtle might have a respiratory infection, but hard to tell considering the conditions it's kept in.
Read the basic care section thoroughly and fix the issues to give your turtle a better life (UVB, Water tamp, water quality, room) and that might save it's life since taking it to a qualified vet is not an option for you.

[marisa]

Hatchlings are more sensitive to heat and low temps can result in illness (RI). You've said your turtle has no heat light, UVB light, water heater, filtration---all equipment that's needed for a healthy turtle. You talk about a turtle, then refer to putting "them" in a sunny area every day. How many turtles are there? If there are multiple turtles and one is ill, it would be good to separate them, since RIs are contagious.

If you're putting them in front of a window, they really don't get any UVB rays, just a little warmth. You also need a thermometer to test the temps to see how cold it is.

An infection in very early stages can benefit from increased warmth (water temp a steady 82F, a basking 90 -91F). Increased warmth will help the immune system fight infection.

Is the turtle eating?

Where are you located?

[3emad]

yes its eating

[marisa]

If he's eating, that's good. What is he being fed?

Keep him warm and improve the habitat as suggested in the posts above.

[za94]

Hi my baby turtle is swimming lopsided to! i know why now, to much basking and water was freezing im certain its a repitory infection or hypothermia . He's about 6 months old and about 2 inches big, i've seperated him from my other turtle and filled his new quarantine with very warm water. He doesnt look ill and his mood seems to be normal but he wont touch food and gasps when i take him out of water. He walks just fine. I'm goin to by some mineral drops today to see if it helps, i've also been trying to feed him with real fruit juice and fish oil, i figure atleast its some way to be getting something into him if he wont take solids. What else can i do for him? im very worried and i want to prevent this from happening again.

[missibsu]

Do you have a water heater that is helping to maintain a warmer water temp? And do you have a themometer so that you know the actual water temp? The gasping that you hear when you take him out of the tank could be hissing, a reaction to being held. My turts don't like to be held and they will do that to me as well.

[regalesse]

i think the little one has a respiratory infection. the little one might need a vet but dry docking for a while will be good till you can see one if you can get to one at least. give it access to the water for short amounts of time.

[steve]

Is he swimming rapidly in circles or in random directions?

[za94]

No he's not swimming in circles and my turtles dont hiss. I've been raising them since babies so theyre absolutely used to me and the little one who's sick is a shy turtle he's not at all aggressive im sure he's gasping for air. About the dry docking, could you tell me more about that, is it safe for him to be out of the water while he's sick like this? Does anyone know how i can get him to eat more he's getting dangerously light and i cant afford the vet care.

[Jaysea]

hissing isn't a sign of aggression, in most cases it's either when they are scared and quickly suck their bodies inside and the air escapes as a hissing noise. Or an issue with their lungs and breathing which makes them sound like they are hissing.

[marisa]

The water needs to be a consistent temp, and just filling the tank with warm water won't cut it---the turtle will be subjected to temp variations as the water cools and is replaced with warm water again. Get a submersible water heater.